Ok hold on a bit before you get wallowed up into that spurious presumption that usually follows a blog title like this. It’s no novel title. In fact, it’s cliché to assert that Naija hard. What with about 70% of Nigerians living below one dollar a day according to the National Bureau of Statistics1. So yes, Naija hard.
This post, however, isn’t necessarily about the fact that Naija hard. We already established that. This post is about the percentage of Nigerians who Naija is actually hard to; those who may not have access to read this post by any means.
Let’s face it. If you are reading this blog post, Naija isn’t that hard to you. If you are reading this, you either own a java enabled smart phone as the techy’s call it, an Ipad or any of those other numerous hand held gadgets that abound at lower cost. At worse, an internet enabled laptop which you have to pay a premium on to maintain the shitty poor service that our telecommunication service providers give to us.
As erroneous as it may seem to assume that because you own a smart phone then you are not poor. However, it is unlikely that you live on less than a dollar per day if you do own an internet enabled smart phone. What with internet penetration in Nigeria at 26.5%2 and poverty level at about 70%. Do the maths.
So, yes. This post isn’t about your class of people. This post is about the other 70% of Nigerians that you are not likely to be among. That is the class of people living below #160 naira a day to feed themselves, their families and also maintain body and soul.
The unfortunate truth is that one can never truly understand what people are going through until one walks in their shoes. And this is the part reason for the absolute disparity between the political class and the abject citizenry of this country. The ruling class doesn’t feel the pangs of hardship being experienced day in day out by the poor citizenry who may actually have no shoes. I never did buy into the cool story that touches the heart about Jonathan’s shoelessness. That’s a gist for another day.
Frankly, one can’t be living in opulence and understand what the real state the other 70% of Nigerians below the dollar a day mark is actually living in. I absolutely do not live in opulence but I had almost forgotten how hard it is to take public transport/okada in the early afternoon scorching sun until I had to drop the car at a service center recently. And yes, I couldn’t wait to run back to the comfy of the car just after a few hours.
Now, if small me could feel this way, how then are the hordes of other Nigerians feeling? And how possible is it for the ruling class to get a feel of this or even understand it? And from it make people oriented policies. This is where the problem lies. The gap between the poor and the rich in our dear country is growing at an alarming rate. At this pace, what lower middle class remains may soon join the lower class of the 70% of poor Nigerians.
In other news, the drama with Amaechi continues while Femi Fani-Kayode joins APC and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is labeled a nepotist amidst other sexual accusations directed at him. I find the SLS sexual accusation totally ludicrous given that there is no evidence to proof the allegations yet. It’s kind of difficult to say anything tangible about FFK so I’ll let it pass.
Enter Opon Imo. The revolutionary well not so revolutionary educational tablet issued out to about 150,000 secondary schools students in Osun State. I must say I’m more than impressed at the launching of the Opon Imo by the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Adminstration. It’s no mean stride by all standards.
Let’s be honest. We are living in hard and rare times. And altruism isn’t what we, as human beings, are naturally born with. It then becomes a feat for someone to see the other human being living in hardship and find absolute ways to help him and his kind. Especially, if he – the helper - lives in exactly opposite conditions. But then, that’s what our leaders signed up to do. And that’s what we should demand from them.
Ps. So last two weeks I registered on the social network site Badoo. Yes, the same Badoo. Don’t ask. Out of boredom mostly. If you ask me, it’s a corporate sex world in there full of all kinds of shenanigans. But that’s if you ask me sha.
On Badoo, you either get propositioned or you proposition someone and the usual conversation may go somewhat like this:
*views pictures of SugarHoneyBerryDame1 and clicks chat*
(And yes, the names are usually that long and complicated)
Me: hey wats up dear
SugarHoneyBerryDame1: hi love *yaaay, she’s calling me love already; feels like a jackpot*
Me: how are you?
SugarHoneyBerryDame1: Fine
Me: kk. Here’s the thing, I’m in town for a few days and will wanna hook up with you.
SugarHoneyBerryDame1: what do you do? *checks my mostly empty profile*
Me: I’m a blogger pharmacist
SugarHoneyBerryDame1: So what do you want? *I could picture her chewing her gum irritatingly as she asks this question*
Me: As I said, I’m in town for a few days
SugarHoneyBerryDame1: Do you want three days or a week? *meaning do I want her to stay with me for three days or a week* A whole week?? My mouth dropped
Me: three days *I mananged to squeeze on my keypad*
And you can guess how the rest of the conversation went. Yes, she proposed a price and my jaws dropped again. I have since deleted my account on Badoo. It’s not for someone like me.